Israel Receives Bodies of Two Hostages Held in Gaza
GAZA/JERUSALEM – Israel has received the bodies of two hostages previously held in Gaza, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed Saturday. Hamas identified the deceased as Yoram Metzger, 80, and Hadas calderon, 53, both of whom were taken captive during the October 7th attacks.
The return of Metzger and Calderon‘s remains comes as part of a deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, which saw Israel release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from gaza. The exchange underscores the ongoing,fragile negotiations for the release of the remaining 138 hostages still held in Gaza,and the immense human cost of the conflict. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Metzger as “a cowboy at heart” who managed a horse stables for many years.
Also on Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry reported receiving the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel via the Red Cross, bringing the total number of Palestinian bodies received to 135. Separately, eleven members of a single Palestinian family were killed by an Israeli tank shell, marking the deadliest single incident involving Israeli soldiers in Gaza since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military stated its soldiers fired at a “suspicious vehicle” that had crossed a demarcated line in Gaza, though the existence of physical markers for this line remains unclear.
The exchange of bodies and prisoners occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the october 7th attacks in which Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.As then, at least 68,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures considered reliable by the UN. A UN commission of inquiry in September alleged that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a claim Israel has vehemently rejected.
